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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. vault — a safe
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. cell — in biology
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cell — a phone
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. kid — to tease
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bat — the animal
  24. kid — child

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com